Alex Sullivan was just a university student majoring in cybersecurity. He wasn't an over-the-top hot guy, nor an absolute nerd obsessed with anime.
He was just a normal guy who enjoyed going out with friends and playing games whenever he had some free time.
"Hey, y'all see that?! Last night, Zero's account got activated again! Kyaa, man, it's literally been six months since he last showed himself," one of his friends said, gulping down a beer can. "Gah! Hit the spot!"
"And it was his 999th stream ever since that guy began playing Tower Riders. I wonder how much money he earned, ha? I mean, he has over one million subscribers," he added, slinging an arm over Alex's shoulder.
"I think he was paying off house debt, so not much," Alex commented bitterly.
Then suddenly, another friend sat up straight, as if he had seen a ghost. Not just him, most of the guys sitting in the restaurant suddenly seemed tense.
"What's up?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oi, check your phones. This is insane!" he said, waving his hand frantically. All the other friends exchanged glances before checking their phones. An emergency alert notification had just arrived.
"What's going on in the world?" one of them muttered.
Before anyone could react, the restaurant kitchen exploded loudly. Alex slid under the nearest table to avoid a flying pan. "Wha-what the heck," he grumbled.
"Whoa!!! This is crazy, it's really happening!!!" one of his friends screamed like a maniac. What the hell was going on? Alex pulled out his phone and turned it on. Messages flooded his inbox. He opened the XChat app.
#system_apocalypse #Towerriderreal #system_awakening
These were the hottest tags on the app.
"System apocalypse?" he muttered, opening one of the posts.
"Guys, if you are a player of Tower Riders, try calling out 'system'! Something is happening!" a thread read.
"System?"
[WELCOME! Host Alex Sullivan to the system!] A transparent blue box popped up in front of him, making him nearly duck his head into the wall, still under the table.
[Please command 'start' to set up your character class]
…???
"Wow! Guys, it's real! I… I can really see a system in front of me! Holy-fucking-shit!" one of his friends screamed. "Oi, oi! It's Tower Rider! The game! What is going on? Is this… technology?"
"S-start?" Alex mumbled, finally crawling out from under the table. The restaurant was a complete mess. Most of the people seemed to be experiencing the same kind of awakening as him.
[Tower Rider Host Profile]
Name: Alex Sullivan
Character Name: Zero
Lv 1
Class: None
It was real. The basic profile that beginners received. But before doing anything else, Alex ran out of the restaurant.
The world… was a mess. Cars were flipped over, strange, magical-like auras poured out of some humans, and others were already testing their newly gained abilities.
In just a few minutes, the whole world had turned upside down. Alex ducked into a dark corner of an alley and finally let out a long breath. "Alright, let's calm down first," he told himself, steadying his breathing.
"First… somehow, the system is real. And it… belongs to Tower Riders, and it's not fake," he mumbled. "So that means… what does that mean?" he deadpanned, clutching his hair. This was maddening. If it was really happening in real life… then… what should he do?
"First, let's focus on what's in front of me," he murmured, falling back into the habit he'd developed from years of streaming.
"Start the system," he said.
[System initializing!]
[Recognizing player ID: Zero]
[The existing data has been deleted. Your character has been reduced to Lv 1. You are now classless.]
God damn it.
[To start, please select a class first!]
A class… Alex narrowed his eyes. In the game, he had played Battlemage and gained the unique skill Copy. That had allowed him to level up fast and made finding a worthy opponent nearly impossible.
"Start class selection," Alex said, leaning back with his hands in his pants pockets, despite the chaos still unfolding around the city.
[class selection started]
[You can choose from these basic character classes. Evolving and merging is possible when levels rise high]
[...Basic Character Classes [Combat]…]
- Battlemage [View]
- Warrior [View]
- Tank [View]
- Assassin [View]
- Archer/Marksman [View]
- Mage [View]
[Scroll for other classes [Non-combat]]
This is it… He should choose Battlemage this time too, right? If this were real, and Tower Rider was really happening, the best class to raise levels fast was Battlemage.
He tapped on it. The system buzzed.
[This class is locked for you]
Alex's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" He tried again. And again, it was rejected. He tried the other classes, and the result was the same.
"What the fuck?! What can I get then?"
This was strange. This had never happened when he created his first character.
[One class available for you: Class 'Raidcaster' [Unique]]
That was a class even Alex, the master of the game as the players say, had never heard of.
"View details," he said.
[Class: Raidcaster (Unique)]
Type: Special
Description:
A class that controls raids, not fights them. Turns large-scale events into personal weapons.
Chosen by an unknown authority.
Warning: External influence detected.
______________+++++________________
[Passive Skills]
👁️ Audience lv1
Your actions are always watched
→ Gain slight stat boosts based on viewers
🎭 Stage Presence lv1
In large-scale battles (raids/events)
→ All abilities become stronger
______________+++++_________________
[Active Skills]
🎥 Highlight Reel lv1 [View]
Replays your last action → creates afterimage attacks
🎥 Performance Mode lv1 {Unique} [View]
[Notice:]
This class cannot be changed.
______________+++++_________________
Alex stared at it for a long time before finally accepting the class, because there was nothing else he could do.
His streaming channel had been taken down. Not just that, all his Tower Rider streams had been removed too. Well, not only his, but all other streamers faced that problem, it seems.
[Congratulations, 'Zero,' on class selection]
[Due to the class type, your system will undergo changes]
[System updating]
[Update completed]
______________+++++___________________
[HOST PROFILE] → [View]
[STATS] → [View]
[PRIMARY RESOURCES] → [View]
[CHANNEL STATUS] {New} → [View]
[CLASS SKILLS] → [View]
[INVENTORY] → [View]
[TOWER SHOP] → [View]
[STREAMING SERVICES] {New} → [View]
[TOP VIEWERS — PATRONS] {New} → [View]
______________+++++___________________
[Your streaming channel is currently at the 'Bronze' tier]
[First Quest - Gain a viewer]
[Special Requirement - Audience: Final Bosses]
"Oh wow," Alex mumbled, staring at the system floating in front of him. "I'm… fucking dead."